VOA news for Saturday, July 4th, 2020

VOA news for Saturday, July 4th, 2020 Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp This is VOA news via remote. I'm Tommy McNeil. Speaking to a largely maskless crowd at Mount Rushmore, US President Donald Trump says protesters waged a merciless campaign to wipe out our history amid demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality. The sharp rebuke in a preholiday address Friday to mark the nation's independence follows weeks of demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality. Following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, some demonstrators have also destroyed or damaged Confederate monuments and statues honoring those who have benefited from slavery. And then during the event their were also arrest of protesters from several groups led by Native American activists. They lined the road leading from Keystone to the monument holding signs and playing music. One person commented, “This is our land we will not support racism, we will not support rapist we want him out of our land and we want our land back.” Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of President Donald Trump's oldest son, has contracted the coronavirus. The chief of staff to the Trump campaign finance committee says that she was immediately isolated after the positive result to limit exposure. She says she will be retested to confirm the diagnosis because she is not showing symptoms of COVID-19. So far, Donald Trump Jr. tested negative but is self isolating as a precaution. He is also canceling his public events. The US is heading into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays cancelled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of American self control. They say this could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak, confirmed cases climbing in 40 states governors have ordered the wearing of mask in public. This is VOA news. More than 524,000 people have now died from COVID-19 and globally, nearly 130,000, in the United States, the number of global infections has surpassed 11 million, and it's approximately 2.8 million in the US . Chinese Health Authority said Saturday it received reports of three newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland, including one local case and two imported ones. The National Health Commission said in its daily report that the local case was reported in Beijing. No new deaths related to the disease were reported nationwide and two suspected cases were reported on Friday. The total number of imported cases reached 1925 and no deaths had been reported from those imported cases. A Turkish court has opened the trial in abstentia of two former aides of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and 18 other Saudi nationals over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkish prosecutors are seeking life prison terms for the defendants who have all left Turkey. Saudi Arabia has rejected Turkeys demands for the suspects extradition and put some of them on trial in the Kingdom that proceedings have been widely criticized as whitewash for Jamal Khashoggi’s family. Later announcing they've forgiven his killers the trial in Turkey will be closely watched for possible new information including the whereabouts of the late columnist remains. French President Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as his new Prime Minister, in an attempt to reinvent his administration and win back voters. The 55-year-old Castex is a top civil servant and a local mayor who orchestrated France’s lock down exit strategy. He hails from the center right of French politics and served for two years as the second highest ranking official during Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency. The announcement followed the resignations of Edouard Philippe, a figure some political analysts say was more popular than the President himself but after his party's dire showing a nationwide municipal elections on June 28th, McCrone wanted an overhaul. A Colorado police chief has fired three police officers over photos showing police reenact the chokehold used on the Elijah McClain. The black man last year died after police stopped him on the street in Denver suburb. One of those fired is a white Aurora officer who helped stop him in August. The other two were fired posed in the photos taken on October near memorial for McLean, a fourth officer in the photos resigned earlier this week. Via remote I'm Tommy McNeil VOA news.